That's Not What *Stripling* Warriors Would Actually Look Like...

I think we’re probably all familiar with the iconic picture of Helaman’s 2,000 stripling warriors. No doubt this depiction, like the animated Living Scriptures rendition, was shaped by popular imagination.

But aren’t we doing the story a disservice by imagining a legion of 18-25 year old warriors who apparently had access to a 24 hr gym and a highly specialized regimen of supplements? 🙂

As it turns out, learning what “stripling” meant in Joseph’s day speaks volumes about what the stripling warriors would have actually looked like.

“Stripling” is a word that, while once common, has virtually vanished from the vocabulary of English speakers. Except, that is, for Mormons who use it to describe Helaman’s valiant warriors. And yet, even we don’t really know what it means. While most have probably never given the word much thought, some of us may think it means “brave,” or perhaps “strong,” or even “young” but in a fairly broad sense.

The 1828 dictionaryhelps us understand what the word really meant when Joseph used it in translation.

“Stripling” refers to a teenage boy at a very particular time in his physical development. You know when a teenage boy of 14-16 years suddenly shoots up a foot or two in what seems like 2 weeks? It’s a super awkward time physically because they are suddenly much taller and they’re sort of graceless in the way they carry themselves. At this stage of life they are lanky and a little clumsy.

It is this stage of adolescence that stripling refers to.

So, when we think of Helaman’s “young men,” even the new mission age is too old. And while they may have been strong and physically active, as “striplings”, they wouldn’t have near enough testosterone to amass the bulky physique we see in depictions. These kids were hardly growing facial hair.

Realizing just how young the “stripling” warriors were puts their story into better context. Take just a second and imagine the sons, grandsons, nephews, brothers, and neighbors you know who are “striplings”–older teachers or young priests–and then consider the following:

When Helaman saw that they were being pursued by an army of hardened Lamanite warriors, he recorded:

“I would not suffer that my little sons should fall into their hands; therefore we did continue our march.”

Later when Helaman realized the tactical need for his “little sons,” we can only imagine the emotion that must have filled his heart when he turned to these youths and said:

“what say ye, my sons, will ye go against them to battle?”

Do you feel the awe that Helaman must have felt when he wrote to Moroni saying:

“Never had I seen so great courage, nay, not amongst all the Nephites. For…they were all of them very young…even so they said unto me: Father, our God is with us, and he will not suffer that we should fall; [so] let us go forth…lest [the Lamanites] should overpower the army of Antipus.”

“Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and…they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them. Yea, and they fought as if with the strength of God; yea, never were men known to have fought with such miraculous strength.”

And so we see that the images we have imagined don’t actually fit the story. The Nephites had such tender feelings about the stripling warriors precisely because they were so young. And Helaman was so awe-struck because the might of these slender youths far surpassed the strength of men in their prime.

When I first studied the meaning of stripling in Joseph’s day and the implications it has for these verses, I was working with the Priests in our ward as part of my calling. After better understanding what “stripling” meant, I would see one of our young priests and think, “so that’s what a stripling warrior would have looked like.”

As I interacted with these young men, I was so impressed by their goodness. Of course, they were normal teenagers with normal teenage traits and challenges. But some of the most enlightening Sunday school lessons I have ever heard taught were given by those boys. My experience with them and many other millennials has left me with this testimony:

God is raising up a generation of warriors.

Tough times are coming. Things have been relatively easy for Latter-day Saints, and Christians more generally. We have had access to unprecedented opportunity, prosperity, technology, education, etc. Freedom to practice our faith has been coupled with an age of great empowerment.

But we know from prophecy, modern warnings, and developing events, that this will not last forever. We are entering a period of the Earth’s history that will require more courage, more dedication, and more faith than perhaps ever before.

But what I know is this: If we will have the faith of those 2,000 stripling warriors,

“the Lord will go before [us], and the God of Israel will be [our] rear guard.” And what’s more, “[He] will be on [our] right hand and on [our] left”, and by our faith in Him, He will work wonders through His people.

As we rise to the challenges before us, may it be said of us as it was said of those 2,000 striplings: “their minds are firm, and they do put their trust in God continually.”

By Dustin Phelps

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No doubt they’d be more fit than we are today. However, even when it comes to 14-17 year old athletes, they’re still pretty small and don’t amass enormous muscle. Bulking up doesn’t become possible until boys are college age and have sufficient testosterone.

That’s probably why part of the definition for “stripling” is “slender.”

On top of that, they probably didn’t have access to the same kind of nutrition we do now. Just look at untouched tribes in the Amazon (I’m assuming how they live might be somewhat closer to how the Nephites lived). They’re hardly muscular despite never sitting in front of a TV, computer, or iPad.

This painting, and others by the same artist, depict spiritual strength. And what better way to do that then to show a muscular, healthy young man? It’s a beautiful thing to think about. What our spirits look like compared to our spiritual strength.

Another fun thing to note is that according to bible study.org, the number 2000 is made up of the number 10 and 200: 10 signifying, among other things, testimony and responsibility; and 200 signifying insufficiency. If you think of the story, those numbers are really cool!

Great article! I have always pictured them as teenagers…younger than missionaries. The other problem with the painting depicting the strippling warriors is the way they are dressed…very Romanesque, don’t you think? The Roman influence on their battle gear is unlikely…nor from archeological indications from any antiquities found in the Americas is it likely that the Nephites had such developed metallurgy to go to battle dressed in such metal armor as is pictured.

I hope , we as mothers and grandmother, can begin to understand , the tasks in hand for our sons and grandsons , with our never ending encouragement, to step up, our culture is saying simple things like, let him stay in bed, when he is older, you are only young once, I can’t get that boy to do a thing, I’ve gave up, I’m working full time, and still left to do everything for them. Let’s start , slowly changing, their understanding of gratitude, the meaning of being willing. Someone said “the hand that rock the cradle, rules the world.” This is how we can be part of this miracle ,the mothers of the 2000 young soldiers , have proven to me, my role is central to the development of my grandsons, the key to the celestial kingdom opens up at baptism,. A Christ like character, can only begin, with a willing heart, so I have a lot of hard work and loving to do, who said? Just do it, do it , do it. ??? ? Ann NZ my grandsons, your grandson are already wonderful young men, in need of a little guidance , mingled with our never ending love.

Just a thought, It was 12 years prior to their “signing up” that they were too young to enter into a covenant. In theory that would be less than eight years old since they could have entered into the baptismal covenant at eight. Using that logic, the oldest stripling soldier would not have been older than 20 years of age. Minimum age would have been determined by size rather than years. They had to be big enough to swing a sword for an extended period of time.

There was a painting in the 2009 Art Contest that the Church has, that depicted two Lamanites brothers with bows and other items of war on either side of their mother before they left with Helaman. As a mother of four sons, I could not look at that painting with tearing up. The look on the mother’s face and the boys’ faces was very profound. I don’t remember who the artist is or even the title of the painting, but I would love to have a print of it! Does anyone know where the painting is and if it is possible to get prints?

They Did Not Doubt, by Joseph Brickey? It’s always been a favorite of mine. That is exactly how I have picture the Stripling Warriors, and it makes me cry when I see that painting because I think of my own son, who will soon be in that age range.

In the 2008 Church wide International Art Contest, there is a painting entitled “They Did Not Doubt” by Joseph Franklin Brickley that can be found on lds.org by searching for 2008 Art Contest and it will take you to the Church History Museum site where you can click on International Art Contests and pick 2008 and scroll until you find this painting. The boys are holding spears and one boy is older than the other…but the look on each of their faces shows the determination to do the right thing even tho it is hard…which are poor words to describe the feelings this painting produces in me.

Fact is, we don’t really know and everything is speculation, but,I believe boys began at a young age to practice with the bow, the sling and later with the sword and spear as well as the hoe, and axe. According to a book I read recently on ancient warrors, they were sinewy and wirey, lithe and fast. But what trumps it all is their simple faith. Their respect and love for their mothers and for their leaders and above all the Lord. In that respect, Frieberg does them justice.

Fantastic article! Lots of wonderful thoughts. I think it’s important to emphasize that these “boys” may have been the same age as our young men, but their lifestyles were very different. You did briefly mention it when you said “And while they may have been strong and physically active, as “striplings”, they wouldn’t have near enough testosterone to amass the bulky physique we see in depictions.” That’s not entirely true. Testosterone increases due to various factors. Including vitamin D, healthy eating, and of course, high intensity fitness. You are right, that they may not have been as bulky as some of our artists depict, but they wouldn’t be scrawny awkward little boys either. 🙂 They wouldn’t have been sitting around playing video games all day. They would have been workers. Hard workers. They may not have “had access to a 24 hr gym and a highly specialized regimen of supplements”, but they would be extremely physically healthy & able. I would say more so than what we might be used to with our “plugged-in” youth. Regardless… I do agree that your overall point of changing the way we view our youth is extremely helpful. To see them as strong, faithful warriors is definitely a mindset we should be practicing. Not so much that they are “physical” warriors, but “spiritual” ones.

Once when we toured the LDS Conference Center in SLC, the Sister Missionary in the Arnold Frieberg “room” told us that at the time that series of paintings were commissioned (Nephi, Lehi, Moroni, Mormon, Stripling Warriors, et. al.) the General Primary Presidency were concerned that the children were paying more attention to comic book hero’s and less to their scriptures. They asked Mr. Frieberg specifically to paint these “Book of Mormon Hero’s” in a muscular and powerful way, in an attempt to spark the children’s imagination and turn them to the scripture stories. Nice alternative to Batman and Superman, I’d say!

Totally. Love the paintings. Also think it’s awesome to have this new concept to teach to the youth, in conjunction with the ideal vision set forth in the painting. It seems that because of the paintings and the lofty image they portray, presented with the true meaning of striplling, the message of, “you too can be like the stripling warriors,” will hit home, having even more impact. No doubt those paintings were inspired!

Helaman never, ever refers to the Striplings as ‘warriors’. Indeed, they never were ‘warriors’… Helaman always referred to them as his sons or soldiers, and rightly so. These were a young, highly trained, very disciplined corps of SOLDIERS. The difference???? A ‘warrior’ is one who fights for self, for his own glory and self aggrandizement, as an individual. A ‘soldier’ is one who fights as part of a larger group, not for one’s self, but a higher cause than his own personal glory. He sacrifices personal esteem for the his fellow man and their well being, not his. I also aver that the many of these young men may have been endowed. In any case, they were taught to be humble and chaste by their mothers and one would not see them strutting about bare chested. The Book Of Mormon is very, very clear about the use of protective clothing and armour of the Nephite troops. The striplings were also descendants of Mideasterner (Jews), not Asians and would not have had an Asian look.

I have “looked” at the “stripling” warriors a bit askance as, even though I hadn’t actually looked up the definition, to me it meant as a young tree – slender, lithe, resilient in the wind, but not strong, Seems like I guessed it pretty closely – much more accurate than the “hunks” they portray in the pix.

We also have a common misconception when we think of young men compared to our age span that can go 75-80 years. Many would have had an age span much shorter than ours, say 40-45, so more was expected by the time they were 14-17. Look at the pioneer children as an example and all that they were expected to do around the house and Church at that age. Just a few thoughts.

Now I know that I am old. When I first read the Book of Mormon (1990) I was very familiar with the real meaning of the word, and envisioned these warriors as 11-13 year old kids. Or perhaps I was unduly influenced by World War Two comics such as the Boy Commandos and Bucky Barnes.

I always like to image the Frieberg artwork as “this is what is inside us – our spiritual strength”. Watching young men grow into manhood is interesting – as you see and hear a young man giving his farewell talk and then compare that to his homecoming talk a couple years later – there is a remarkable difference. Helaman was kind of like in the position that John Wayne was in the 1972 movie “The Cowboys”. He needs to lead a young group of “boys” to deliver cattle to the market cuz all the men were gone. I’m sure Helaman did a better job, and was a better example, but I like to relate the situation to something similar to help my understanding of the task at hand. Helaman was a great Leader!

I totally agree with your article and the wonderful information in it. My question is why would the 1828 dictionary be useful for this definition if the word is an ancient word. If we believe it is a translated word the 1800’s definition would not be useful!

It’s because the ancient words in the BoM were translated into 1820s English. So understanding what the word meant in the 1820s helps to know exactly what the Spirit told Joseph the ancient word meant.

Does that make sense?

For example, if Joseph had translated the BoM into Spanish, we’d need to know what those Spanish words mean in our language.

I have gone through a similar thought process when I was inspired to paint about the stippling warriors and their mothers before any battles. I was able to travel to southern Mexico and pose families in a village of Mayan descendants for the photo shoot as well. The painting is on my website at meganrieker.com. Thanks!

Great article–I’ve recently been disappointed with the pictures, t-shirts, etc. that show these young men with bulging and ripped physiques.

Just look at how many times Helaman refers to them as “little” and “very young,” (Alma 53:20; Alma 56:5,9,17,19,30,33,39,46; Alma 57:6,19,27) and also noting that “they had never fought.” (Alma 56:47)

You can get a feel for the love and respect that Helaman had for them and their parents as he repeatedly worries over his “little sons.” The little and stripling nature of these young men makes their miraculous survival much more inspiring and rightly shifts the focus to their chiseled exact obedience and immense faith.

For different views of these stripling warriors, I suggest Walter Rane’s; those young men look like middle schoolers. I think it is Liz Lemon Swindle who painted a boy leaving for war, with his mother and other family members. He looks like a gangly child. These bring me to tears every time.

We should probably also look at our use of the word warrior. It isn’t actually ever used in the scriptures to refer to Helaman’s army of young men. Soldiers, sons, and Ammonites, are. (It was briefly used in a chapter heading that is not in the current or immediately previous edition, but not in actual scripture.) This makes sense since these boys weren’t warriors, but very much citizen soldiers–young men who were fighting for God, family and country, not because they were strong, or particularly militant.

Most church artwork takes considerable artistic license. This isn’t nearly as inaccurate as virtually every painting I’ve ever seen of Joseph Smith translating the Book of Mormon, or even the famous paintings of the First Vision and Christ’s appearance in the Americas. They get the point across though, and tell the story that needs to be told, which is all that really matters.